British Gas owner Centrica is grappling with a political storm over household energy bills. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

Centrica's finance director is quitting the company to join Reed Elsevier, leaving the British Gas owner looking for a replacement at a time of turmoil for the energy industry.

Nick Luff will join the Anglo-Dutch publisher and information provider when Centrica has found a successor. Centrica said it had already begun the search.

Luff joined Centrica in 2007, soon after Sam Laidlaw was appointed chief executive .

Laidlaw said: "I will miss Nick's valuable input to my team and I would like to thank him for his ongoing support over the coming months. I know that I speak on behalf of everyone at Centrica in wishing him well in this next chapter of his career."

Luff's departure leaves Centrica looking for a new finance director as the group grapples with a political storm over household energy bills ahead of the 2015 election. Centrica is also the preferred bidder to take control of Bord Gáis Energy, the Irish state-owned energy board.

The move will take Luff from his politically charged role to the world of providing data for lawyers and scientists.

Centrica said Luff was leaving for a "new challenge" in a different industry. He will be paid his salary and benefits during his notice period and unvested share awards will lapse when he leaves.

Before joining Centrica, Luff worked at P&O, the shipping group with joint operations between the UK and the Netherlands.

Erik Engstrom, Reed Elsevier's chief executive, said: "I am pleased to have Nick join the team. His many years of experience as finance director of a [top 30 FTSE 100] company, combined with his involvement in dual UK/US and Netherlands-based listings, make him a great fit for Reed Elsevier."

Luff will take over from Duncan Palmer, who announced in September he was leaving Reed Elsevier to return to the US for family reasons. Both Centrica and Reed Elsevier said there would be handover periods between their new and old finance chiefs.